


Perfectly Together

by xTarmanderx



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Anniversary Vacation, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Lazy Mornings, M/M, game night with friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-07-15 08:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16059113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTarmanderx/pseuds/xTarmanderx
Summary: Brett spends a lazy morning with Liam.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [snaeken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snaeken/gifts).



> This is a very late birthday fic for Cal because he is amazing and deserves the world. I'm sorry this took me so long but I hope you enjoy it!

_It’s too damn early for this_ , is the first thing that crosses Brett’s mind when he’s jolted awake. Literally. Somewhere next to him, a bundle of blankets groans and the whole bed starts to shake in excitement. “Boomer, no.” Brett gargles out against his pillow. The movement stills for a moment and then he’s being pounced on, large paws digging into his lower back as an excited bark sounds in his ear. “Noooo.” Brett drags the word out, whining as he buries his face into his pillow before a wet nose can touch his cheek.

“Brett, make it stop.” Liam whines somewhere from his left.

“It’s your turn to let him out.” Brett mumbles in response, stretching his long limbs down the length of the bed. “I took him for his run last night. Your turn.” He isn’t moving from his spot, thank you very much. And if he can get Liam to leave his burrito of blankets, he can steal them back. It’s practically expected at this point. It’s not his fault that Liam hogs the blankets in the middle of the night and leaves Brett to freeze.

“Worst ex-boyfriend ever.” Liam huffs.

“I told you to stop calling me that.” Brett rolls his eyes and lets them close, relaxing further into the mattress as he feels Liam moving around beside him. He’s almost asleep again when he feels warm blankets settle on his shoulders and a faint kiss brushing over his forehead. Then there are nails clicking on the floor, a faraway bark sounded before descending the stairwell. The bedroom door shuts and Brett is left in silence, peace settling over him.

He doesn’t sleep for much longer, drifting in and out of consciousness every few seconds. It lasts for about fifteen minutes before he gives up, throwing the blankets back and getting to his feet. The hardwood floors are cool under his feet and he shivers, curling his toes to crack them before he leaves the bedroom. He follows Liam’s scent downstairs and pauses in the kitchen, smiling softly when he realizes there is a fresh cup of coffee still cooling off for him. He grabs it and takes a tentative sip, already knowing the blend of cream and sugar is perfect. Liam’s had almost fifteen years to get this down to an art.

Crossing to the window in the dining room that overlooks the backyard, he leans against it and can’t help but smile. Liam is bundled up in a ridiculously oversized and fluffy blue bathrobe to fight the early autumn morning chill that’s settled over the past few days. It’s perfect cuddling weather which is why Brett loves it but Liam always complains that he’s cold. Despite being a werewolf, Liam is always whining about things like that. His smile stretches as an over exuberant golden retriever dashes through the yard and flops in front of Liam, eating dirt as he slides to a halt. He smothers a laugh against his coffee cup and Liam turns around, flashing a blinding and bright smile at him. He taps his fingers against his thigh and the dog gets up, entire body wagging furiously as he races for the back door and barks loudly.

“Boomer, enough.” Liam says after him as he jogs to catch up, reaching for the handle. The dog ignores him and knocks the door open with fervor, nearly hitting Brett in the process. He catches it just before it can bruise his hip and smiles, dropping his hand to pat his dog on the head.

“Hey buddy. Are you hungry?” He asks, grinning as an affirmative woof is given. “Yeah? You want Liam to feed you?” He woofs again and turns, sitting down with his tail thumping while watching Liam expectantly.

“I hate that you taught him that.” Liam grumbles lightly, though he can’t stop grinning as he walks to the other end of the kitchen and bends down for the dog bowl. Brett eyes him appreciatively, smirking as Liam straightens and a light blush stains his cheeks. It doesn’t matter how long they’ve been together, knowing that he can still make Liam blush never fails to send a thrill down his spine.

“You want eggs this morning?” Brett asks, shuffling toward the stove and turning it on. He grabs the pan and the butter next, setting both on the counter before getting a new coffee mug and filling it for Liam.

“What about an omelet? I could make some hash browns and french toast to go along with it?” Liam offers from within the pantry, emerging a moment later with a bowl of dog food. Boomer immediately races to his water bowl and sits, waiting patiently for his owner to set the bowl in front of him between attacking it with ferocity, bits of kibble flying everywhere. Liam mutters to himself and steps around the mess, knowing that their living vacuum cleaner will pick it up.

“That sounds nice. We don’t have any plans today, do we?”

“Game night with Mason and Corey and Theo and Stiles. Mason said the girls have a sleepover tonight so we can crash there for the night if we need to.” Liam tells him as he opens the fridge and starts pulling out food. “You in the mood for bacon?” He asks, cocking his head slightly.

“Not right now. Aren’t we having ribs tonight?” Brett returns, glancing over at him.

“I told Mason to get some salmon too. I wasn’t sure what kind of mood you’d be in.” Liam says, warming Brett’s heart. He’s not always in the mood for meat and it’s nice to know that everyone is considerate of that.

“Then bacon it is, Mr. Talbot-Dunbar.” Brett’s grin stretches as Liam’s heart skips a beat and flutters softly. Almost ten years later and he never gets tired of saying it. “You think Stiles and Theo will be on time tonight?” He asks as he cracks an egg into the frying pan.

“They never are.” Liam snorts softly. “Didn’t Stiles just get back from a job? You know how much time they spend in bed afterwards.”

“I wish I didn’t.” Brett mutters, wrinkling his nose. Sometimes being best friends with Theo is a terrible life decision. He knows far more than he ever wanted to about his friend’s sex life.

“We were that bad when we first started dating.” Liam reminds, smirking over at him. “I nearly failed my freshman year of college because of you and your grabby hands.”

“You barely passed because you were lazy and wouldn’t go to class on time.” Brett fires back with a soft chuckle. A low whine sounds beside him and he looks down, smiling as Boomer leans into his leg. “See? Even the dog agrees with me.”

“He’s whining because you’re bullying your loving husband. Jackass.” Liam grins and Boomer barks at him, moving to plant himself between the pair. It takes all of Brett’s strength not to double over in laughter at Liam’s offended look. Still, he chortles to himself as he flips the omelet and a comfortable silence lapses between them. They move around each other like a well oiled machine, expertly dodging elbows and trading off supplies as needed.

“You want to do something next week?” Brett asks as he slides a second omelet onto a plate, stepping back so Liam can move into the space and dish out hash browns for them. “I was thinking of seeing if Derek still has that cabin up in the mountains. Could be nice to take Boomer and get out of town for a while.”

“I should have enough time saved up to take a week.” Liam hums softly. “You didn’t do anything crazy like dinner reservations or something?” He turns and squints at his husband in suspicion, causing Brett to smile.

“Nothing crazy. Just a week away to celebrate our anniversary.” Brett wraps Liam in his arms and lowers his lips to his ear, mouth curving in a smile. “How does that sound?”

“Like a much needed vacation.” Liam leans into his hold, his eyes fluttering shut as he exhales slowly. “Can’t believe it’s been ten years.” He whispers, shivering as Brett worms a hand beneath the bathrobe and strokes his fingers across his ribs.

“Ever think we’d make it?” Brett asks softly, looking down at him with a fond smile while Liam shifts around and wraps his arms around his neck.

“We’ve been together for fifteen years, nearly married for ten.” He reminds as he leans up to kiss him on the corner of his mouth. “I fucking hope I believed in us.” Brett laughs quietly and catches his lips in a slow kiss, pressing his fingers gently into warm hips. Liam is the one to break it, smiling softly as Brett lets out a whine. “Breakfast first. We’ve got the whole day to ourselves, let’s make the most of it.” Five years ago that would have meant hours fucking on every available surface. Now it means cuddling while they watch a movie and occasionally running outside with Boomer. “You want to grab the breakfast trays?” Liam asks as he lets go of Brett, stepping back to grab the plates of food.

“Anything for you.” Brett smiles and does as told, grabbing their coffee mugs as well. He follows Liam upstairs and Boomer trots happily after them, curling up in his favorite spot at the foot of the bed. He’s got the comforter bundled under him and from the way he flops over across it, they aren’t getting it back any time soon. It’s a good excuse as any to snuggle up to Liam and feign being cold. The bitten werewolf rolls his eyes but doesn’t complain, only shedding his bathrobe and draping it across their legs pressed together. As Liam chooses some recommended comedy that’s started streaming, Brett looks around their shared space and can’t stop smiling. Liam’s work clothes are still hanging over the desk chair where Brett’s briefcase is sitting. There’s a framed wedding picture on the nightstand, both smiling too much to have a proper kiss but it was perfect. A few pictures adorn the wall of their pack, several claimed by Mason and Corey’s adopted daughters. Liam’s the proudest godfather ever and if Brett would let him, the house would be covered in pictures of them wall to wall. He’d already restrained Liam twice when it came to decorating their guest bedroom. But there were limits and boundaries Brett needed and one of them was not having a neon pink armchair in his living room.

“This okay?” Liam asks softly, leaning his head down onto his shoulder before taking a bite of his omelet. Brett shifts down a little lower to accommodate him and smiles, kissing the top of his head.

“It’s perfect.”


	2. Chapter 2

The sun has just started to set when Brett’s station wagon pulls into the Hewitt’s driveway. He parks behind what must be Stiles’ rental Jeep, raising an eyebrow at Liam. “Well. Guess you were wrong.” He smirks teasingly and cuts the ignition, tapping one finger against the wheel. “You get Boomer, I’ll get our bag.” He says before climbing out. 

“You think it’s too much to hope they’ve already cooked and are just waiting on us?” Liam asks as he lifts the hatch at the rear of the car, stepping back as their golden retriever hops through the opening. Rather than landing gracefully, Boomer faceplants onto the cool cement and barks loudly, clearly offended by his own stupidity. 

“I’ll bet Mason is firing up the grill as we speak.” Brett says, shouldering a duffel bag and locking the car. He joins Liam on the stone path leading to the front door of the one story brick house, slinging his arm around his shoulders. “If we play charades again, and they pair me up with Stiles, we are skipping out early. I’ll claim food poisoning.” He warns, grinning as Liam rolls his eyes. The last time they’d played, Brett had ended up with the over exuberant human as his partner and they’d been disqualified from charades after Stiles attempted to talk every time he was acting something out. He still hasn’t fully forgiven him for it. 

“You’re a werewolf, you don’t get food poisoning.” Liam huffs out a small laugh. Boomer barks impatiently from beside them, sitting when both men look down at the dog and looking around as though he isn’t the culprit. It’s enough to make them both laugh and Liam reaches for the door handle with a shake of his head. Before he can touch it, it swings open to reveal Corey on the other side and an equally excited black lab waiting.

“Roxy, wait!” Corey drags the dog back by her collar, struggling to move out of the doorway so they can step inside. Boomer races past and disappears down the hall, letting out a series of excited yips as he goes. Brett shuts the door and braces himself, nodding for Corey to release his dog. She runs straight for him and knocks into his legs, swinging her body around to demand scratches along her back while she nudges her head against Liam. “Sorry,” Corey says as he offers to take Brett and Liam’s bag. “Mason accidentally said your names and she freaked out.”

“Not a problem. She’s just excited to see her favorite uncles, that’s all.” Brett says, scratching the dog lightly just above her tail. 

“What’s the status on dinner?” Liam asks, glancing over at the chimera. 

“Mason lit the grill a couple of minutes ago and the first set of food has been set out. It should be ready in no time.” Corey replies. 

“Look at that, I’m two for two. Guess I’m already on a winning streak.” Brett smirks at Liam, leaning in and dropping a kiss to the side of his head. “We aren’t too late, are we? We were surprised Stiles and Theo beat us here.” He explains as they walk deeper into the house, heading for the living room. 

“Mason said if we were late again, he was going to make tofu for dinner for us. He even sent pictures.” Theo chuckles, getting up from the couch. “Stiles was ready to go five minutes after.” A chorus of barks sounds from the kitchen and Brett turns his head, grinning at the sight of the dark gray Maine Coon perched on the kitchen counter. “Millie, you know you aren’t supposed to be up there.” Theo warns as he approaches, scooping the giant furball up into his arms. She mewls softly in response, rubbing her face into the side of his neck.

“Is Circe hiding in the guest bedroom?” Liam asks, looking around for the white pit mix. 

“She is. Millie tried to play with her and the poor girl ran with her tail between her legs.” Corey explains. “Liam, do you mind carrying out the food tray to Mason? He’ll be glad to know you guys are here and he should be ready for it. 

“Sure thing.” Liam steps around Brett and nods at Theo as he passes him, picking up the tray and easing the back door open. Two bundles of energy rocket past him and he shakes his head, stepping onto the patio into the cool night air. “Ribs for the grillmaster.” He says, setting down the tray next to his best friend. Mason turns and grins at him, eyes crinkling at the corners. Liam’s heart catches at the sight, his eyes wandering the lines of Mason’s face and the flecks of gray in his hair and beard. They aren’t even that old yet, but time is starting to take its toll on the human. Not for the first time, he wishes, even if just for a moment, that Mason would accept the bite. He understands why his best friend keeps turning it down, but it doesn’t make him feel much better. The chances of death as he grows older continues to rise. Derek’s told Liam this on numerous occasions. Yet still, he can’t help but hold onto the hope that Mason would be one of the few humans to survive the bite in adulthood.

“You’ve got that look on your face again,” Mason says as he opens the grill and begins laying out the ribs with care. 

“What look?” Liam knows he shouldn’t play dumb, but a small part of him is terrified of voicing his fears aloud. If he speaks them into existence, what if the universe hears him and decides to make them a reality? 

“Liam.” Mason coats the ribs with his special rub and then closes the hatch over them, turning around. “We’ve been best friends for nearly thirty years. You can’t hide things from me. Also, you’re terrible at it.” He reminds, crossing his arms over his chest with an expectant look. Liam ducks his head down against his chest, a light flush crawling over his cheeks. This is exactly why he should never play dumb. 

“I just...you’re getting gray. That’s all.” He admits quietly, hoping his friend will leave it alone. He should know better by now. 

“We’ve talked about this.” Mason shifts beside him and pulls out his chair, gesturing for Liam to take a seat beside him. “You know why I said no.”

“Mase-“

“If it goes wrong, I don’t just leave behind Corey, but I leave behind our beautiful daughters. Makayla and Riley shouldn’t have to grow up with just one father. Corey’s too young to have that kind of responsibility thrust into him. I can’t be selfish. Not when my family is at risk.” Mason says, looking over and holding his gaze. “I know it scares you. But isn’t this exactly why we left Beacon Hills? To prolong all of our lives? We get to be human here. The most danger I’m in is a car accident or cancer and I’m healthy, Liam. The doctor says I’m doing fantastic.”

“I just hate watching you die. There’s nothing I can do about it. You’re getting older and I...I’m going to look like I’m in my twenties for the next couple of decades. It’s just hard.” Liam swallows, hating the way his eyes begin to prickle uncomfortably. “Mason, we were supposed to grow old together. It’s not just about...yes, I hate watching you get older, but it’s more than that. It was supposed to happen to us together. I don’t want to start a fight with you, not over this. Not tonight. I can’t help how I feel, okay?” 

“I’m not mad at you.” Mason promises, reaching over and gently squeezing his hand. “We’ve got time. Twenty years from now, when the girls are grown up and married, we can revisit this topic.”

“Like you’re ever going to let them get married.” Liam grins and leans sideways, settling his head on Mason’s shoulder. “Hey. Do you think you and Corey can watch the house for us next week?” He asks, smiling as Mason’s arm goes easily around his waist and brings him closer. 

“I didn’t know you had plans to go out of town. Brett trying to romance you?” Mason asks, a teasing lilt to his words.

“He wants to take me up to the cabin for our anniversary. Derek said he hasn’t had any renters and we texted him earlier to make sure he still hadn’t sold it.” Liam explains. “So we’re going to take time from work and just get away for a few days.”

“Boomer going with you?” Mason asks. He nods, exhaling softly as he closes his eyes and breaths in Mason’s comforting scent.

“You know Brett wouldn’t let us leave the dog behind.” Liam chuckles softly. “As much as he complains about him, he loves him. It would take something supernatural to rip them apart for longer than a couple of days.”

“Explains why he’s always so moody when he takes business trips.” Mason smiles. “And here I was, thinking this whole time he was just missing giving you a good dicking.”

“Don’t ever say those words again!” Liam laughs, hiding his face against his friend’s shoulder. “That sounded like it came straight out of a bad porno.”

“I’m classier than that.” Mason grins and drops a soft kiss to the top of his hair. “You want to hang out with me while the ribs cook?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Liam answers. They take a moment to adjust and get completely comfortable, Mason running his fingers through Liam’s hair once they’re both settled. He launches into stories about his girls, catching Liam up on the latest drama of the week in elementary school. He laughs as Mason tells him about a cupcake fiasco caused by one of the soccer moms and the pigtail pulling that had occurred at the last practice. It doesn’t even feel like half an hour has passed before the timer on Mason’s phone is going off, startling them back to reality.

“Shit! I meant to put the salmon on the grill during the last few minutes.” Mason says as he jumps up, opening the grill. He grabs the tongs and pulls the ribs out with care, laying them across the platter before setting the salmon on and restarting his timer. “Can you go and see if the table has been set? By the time that’s done and drinks are poured, Brett’s should be done.”

“You got it. You want a beer?” Liam guesses as he gets to his feet, stretching for a moment. 

“Please. Yours should be in the fridge, I asked Corey to pick up your favorite when he got off his shift last night.” Mason tells him. Liam bods and opens the door, stepping aside just as their dogs race past and stumble into the house. He looks inside just in time to see a glimpse of white fur and nails scurrying away on the hardwood floor. “That Circe?” Mason asks, glancing back at him. 

“Yeah. I’ll tell Brett to coax her out later tonight so she can go out.” Liam promises, slipping into the house and shutting the door. “Dinner’s almost ready.” He says as he heads for the fridge, pulling it open. As promised, his favorite beer is sitting in the door next to a bottle of Mason’s favorite. “Babe, you want one?” He asks over his shoulder, grabbing the two bottles. 

“Already got some bourbon.” Brett replies from behind him. Liam straightens and turns, raising an eyebrow at the glass that’s mostly empty. “It’s my first. I’ve been nursing it.” Brett tells him, stepping around the kitchen island. “You okay?” He asks softly, putting his free hand on the side of Liam’s neck. 

“Were you eavesdropping?” Liam returns quietly, chancing a look at the living room. Stiles must be telling a story from work, his limbs are flailing everywhere and Theo is watching him with fond exasperation. Corey is smiling politely, but he’s not convinced the chimera really cares about whatever story is being spun. 

“I felt how upset you were for a moment.” Brett says, dragging his fingers a little lower until they’re resting just over the mating bite on his collarbone. Liam shudders in response, his inner wolf rumbling with pleasure at the touch. “Is it something we need to talk about?” He asks softly, drawing his fingers away and leaving Liam feeling lost. He takes a moment to reorient himself, nodding as he meets Brett’s worries gaze.

“I’m fine. I’ll tell you later.” He promises, stretching up on his toes to kiss Brett’s cheek. “Want to help me set the table and get drinks ready? Mase is almost done with dinner.”

“Sure.” Brett smiles softly and takes the two beers from him, walking to the table. They spend the next few minutes setting up what they need, bringing in a couple of stools from the kitchen island to add to the table so there’s room for everyone. Liam’s going to have to remind Mason for the umpteenth time that he really needs to get a table to properly seat six. A couple of minutes later, Mason entered with the food and the other men appeared at the kitchen table, tempted by the salivating scent of a home cooked meal. “Thanks again, Mason. For all of this.” Brett says as he moves the salmon onto his plate and Liam adds a small cob of corn beside of it. 

“My pleasure. Hopefully everything tastes good.” Mason replies. 

“It always does.” Corey assures, taking his husband by the hand and squeezing lightly. 

“And if it sucks, we can always feed it to the dogs.” Stiles pipes in. Theo rolls his eyes, elbowing his fiancé hard enough to make him wince. 

“Sorry about him. He still hasn’t learned how to shut his mouth.” Theo says, raising an eyebrow as Stiles gasps and gives him a wounded look. “It’s true. I’m not sure why I put up with you.”

“How the tables have turned for them,” Brett mutters under his breath. Liam stifles a giggle, barely masking it as a cough. Corey can’t even hide his laughter, giggling behind the rim of his wine glass.

“What? What did one of you say? Was it Mason? Brett?” Stiles asks, squinting suspiciously at them. When no one answers, he huffs and digs into his ribs while muttering to himself. Brett shares a sideways smile with Liam and glances around the table, still grinning as he cuts into his salmon and takes the savory first bite. Dinner passes in an easy blue of conversation after that, stories shared and multiple beers cracked open in response. Liam’s not sure who has the diluted wolfsbane this time, but he’s three beers in and there’s a pleasant buzz pulsing under his skin. Judging by Brett’s easy smile and casual thigh stroking under the table, he’s feeling just as loose and free. If they were home, they’d probably be halfway to their bed by now. As it is, they’re with company, so the best Liam can hope for is light groping and making out when they’re wrapped up in the guest bed later. 

He’s not too surprised when Stiles breaks out a pack of cards and starts to shuffle them as Corey and Theo work to clear the table. He and Brett wrestle the dogs outside for one quick game of fetch and then everyone is back at the kitchen table, the dogs piled under their feet and the cat perched on Theo’s shoulder as they start to play. Liam doesn’t even bother trying to keep track of who’s winning half the time, it’s impossible with Brett’s fingers stroking his outer thigh and the occasional brush over his mating bite that shoots electricity through Liam’s own mark. The thing is, he knows Brett isn’t doing this to intentionally rule him up. If he was, Liam would have been panting and hard long before they’d started playing cards. He’s just the right amount of turned on though and, judging by Theo’s occasional smirk in their direction, his arousal is making itself clear. 

“I told.” Stiles sighs and slaps the cards down another two beers later, shaking his head. “It’s getting late and I think I’d like to sleep in my own bed tonight.” He gets up and stretches, watching as the rest of the table lays down their hands. “Fuck, Corey. You must be cheating! How many did you just win?” He complains, scrubbing a hand down over his face. 

“Just my lucky day.” The chimera winks and gathers up the cards, beaming.

“He’s just got the best poker face.” Mason says as he hands over the card box to his husband. “Sure you guys don’t want to stay the night? We have plenty of room.”

“Nah, but thanks. Stiles is right.” Theo says, lifting Millie from where she’d draped herself sleepily around the back of his neck. He cradles her gently to his chest, smiling fondly as she purrs and nuzzles him. “We had fun. Thanks for cooking, Mason. You guys want to try Operation next week?”

“You’d have an unfair advantage because of the Dread Doctors.” Stiles says, turning and poking him in the shoulder. Theo rolls his eyes, smiling slightly as he leans in and gently kisses the other man. “Hey! Kissing won’t change my mind, mister.” Stiles warns as he pulls back. 

“Damn. It was worth a shot.” Theo clicks his tongue softly. “We’ll text and let you know when we get home. Have a good night.” He says, letting Stiles drape an arm around his shoulders as they walk out. Everyone murmurs their farewells in response and Liam gets up, stretching his arms above his head with a loud yawn. 

“Think it’s time for the puppy to go to bed.” Brett chuckles, his smirk spreading as Liam shoots him a dirty look. “Mason, Corey, need anything else cleaned up before we go to bed?”

“I think we’re fine. Circe is probably hiding under the bed though. She shouldn’t need to go out, but she might get you up early if she decides she has to go.” Mason tells him, getting up and sliding his chair up to the table.

“That’s fine. Brett’s used to getting up early with Boomer. Both of us are.” Liam says, reaching back and taking his husband by the hand. “Thanks again for letting us crash here for the night.”

“You’re always welcome here.” Mason smiles warmly. “Have a good night. And please, please, try not to mess around and scar my husband too much.”

“Don’t worry, Mase. I refuse to defile your guest bed.” Brett smirks over his shoulder and laces his fingers with Liam’s, following him from the kitchen. They’re barely down the hall before Brett scoops up Liam, carrying him bridal style like it’s nothing. The beta protests and laughs, wrapping his arms tight around Brett’s neck as he carries them to the guest room. He nudges the door open and drops Liam onto the plush comforter, flopping on top of him with an exaggerated groan. “So tired. Never moving again,” Brett murmurs as he closes his eyes.

“Ugh, you’re so heavy, get off.” Liam huffs, though he makes no effort to actually move him. They lay like that for a few minutes, until Liam’s bladder decides it needs to be emptied and he manages to squirm his way from beneath the tall werewolf. From there, it’s the usual evening routine of brushing teeth and changing into pajamas, and Liam climbing into bed while Brett lays down beside of it and sticks his head under the bed. “She under there?” Liam asks, rolling onto his side.

“She is. Hey, sweet girl. Come here.” Brett croons softly. The entire bed starts to shake and vibrate and Liam smiles, listening as the dog hiding underneath begins to drag herself out from under the bed. Brett stands a moment later, holding the beautiful white pit mix to his chest, and he sits down on the bed. “Boomer.” He clicks his tongue once and the dog comes bounding into the room, jumping up and settling obediently at their feet. The dog in Brett’s arms thumps her tail against his arm and jumps onto the bed, settling down immediately beside Liam.

“Hey, Circe. Millie scare you off again?” Liam asks, stroking her fur gently as he watches Brett close the bedroom door. She rolls her head back and wags her tail, licking his jaw in response. Liam grins and scratches her hip, chuckling as she goes boneless in response and melts against his stomach. He can’t blame her for hiding out. Millie’s a street rescue and has a mean streak when she wants to, especially when it comes to bullying the other dogs. He doesn’t know Circe’s story, none of them do, but Corey had found her huddled in the corner at the shelter and had all but pleaded with Mason to take her home so someone could love her. Liam knew that Corey saw himself in her. It was as sweet as it was heartbreaking. She’d bonded after a few months to her humans, but she was still skittish when it came to groups of people, so most of the time she hid in the bedroom when they had visitors over. Brett was one of the few people that could coax her out from under the bed. Liam often wondered if it was because he was an alpha.

“You want to talk about what happened earlier?” Brett asks as he settles down on the other side of Circe, tapping his fingers against his thigh. Boomer wiggles his way up to bed and settles against his legs, nosing at Circe as he gets closer. 

“Just thinking about Mason’s humanity. That’s all it was.” Liam says, dropping a soft kiss to Circe’s fur as he drapes an arm over her. Brett takes his hand and laces their fingers, bringing it up to softly kiss his fingertips. “Nothing new. I just...every time I see him, he’s a little more gray. A little more wrinkled.”

“You’re not the only one who worries, you know.” Brett says softly. “Corey does too. We’ve talked a few times. I think he thinks I can talk some sense into Mason or something. But you were human once, too. And you didn’t like being a werewolf at first and not having control. Mason just wants to live his life the way he wants. You can’t be upset with him over that.”

“I know. I just...I notice more now with my senses heightened. I just worry something is going to take him from me. From Corey and the girls. I won’t be able to save him.” Liam admits, swallowing hard. “He’s my best friend. I just...we were always supposed to grow old together.”

“You still can, Liam. Let Mason enjoy being human for as long as he wants. I know you’re scared, but he’ll be okay. He’s tough as nails.” Brett murmurs, squeezing his hand in comfort. “And you know the second he asks for it, I’ll give him the bite.” He says, flashing alpha red eyes. Liam’s own gleam yellow in response and he nods his head weakly.

“You’re right. I’ll try and stop worrying so much.” He promises. It won’t be easy, not by a longshot, but he’s willing to try. He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths, listening to the steady heartbeats throughout the house. They lull him closer and closer to sleep and he’s gone by the time Brett says he loves him, a smile on his face as his dreams pull him under. 


End file.
